2017 Roy Pippen Scholarship Winner

2017 Roy Pippen Scholarship Winner

Update from the Roy Pippen Scholarship Committee

The Roy Pippen Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce that Megan Hamilton is the recipient of the 2017 Roy Pippen Scholarship. Megan was awarded the scholarship during church services on May 7, 2017 and honored at a reception between worship services. In response to an introduction by Mrs. Treeva Pippen, Megan informed the congregation that she plans to attend Messiah College in the fall.

The Roy Pippen Scholarship Committee reviewed applications from a very talented pool of candidates. All of the applicants met or exceeded both academic and service requirements. At times, it was difficult to believe that members so young have been able to accomplish so much.

Without a doubt, our congregation should take pride in the caliber of all candidates and their essay responses!

The scholarship applicants were asked to respond to the following three questions:

What do you hope to accomplish with the life that God has given you?

How will your faith guide you in the decisions you make throughout that life?

How would you like to be remembered?

After reading Megan's essay below, we hope that everyone in our congregation shares the pride felt by The Roy Pippen Scholarship committee members. We felt God’s hand as He prepared our students for the next steps in their academic careers. Please join us in praying for the continued inspiration and growth of all of our college students.

Meghan Hamilton's Essay

J.K. Rowling once said, “I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book.” When you open a book, you are transported to another world. You go on so many adventures through the past, present, and future. You experience different people, chapter after chapter. What will come next? The story rises, and you cannot resist turning the page to read the next chapter where the hero fights the villain in a daring battle. However, if you are like me, you might hesitate from turning that page. When I am consumed in a book, there is always an unknown factor that surprises me, which consequently alters the whole book. Sometimes the plot grows, and I am so thankful for turning the page. Sometimes that turning of the page dooms the protagonist, and the book ends on a somber note. Nonetheless, this is where the adventure lies in a story. It is that next chapter or page turn that changes everything.

Life is like a book. Now, I am at that crucial page turn. The next chapter of my life approaches, page by page. It is daunting when faced with the unknown chapters of the rest of my life. However, I put my trust in God to carry me through these adventures. Additionally, in these next chapters of life, I have certain goals that I want to accomplish. The foundation for all of my goals in life is simply: to help people. When I flip back through my own story, I can see where God has planted this seed. I see it in my parents and grandparents, especially my Gran. My grandmother was an active member of her church and would always participate in any function to help someone. On certain Sundays, she would make sandwiches for the poor. Also, whenever she was out shopping, she would always look for something to buy for children her church sponsored. In addition to my Gran’s servant heart, my experiences in a small, Christian middle school shaped the desires of my heart. In 8th grade, my class worked on many servant projects: food and clothes drives for both the poor and veterans’ families. Around Christmas time, we also collected toys and took them to a church in inner-city Baltimore. Through one of my teachers at the school, I even organized two fundraisers to raise money for orphans in India by putting on a concert. Each time, God provided the funds to help these children! These experiences have pointed me towards what I want to accomplish with my life.

In my room, there is a framed Bible verse that I received after confirmation as a gift. Mark 16:15 says, “[Jesus] said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’” This verse has always inspired me. In these next chapters, I want to use the life God has given me to help people. In an earlier chapter, I considered following a ministerial carrier, but then I discovered my love of helping children with disabilities. I discovered this passion through the Best Buddies program at my school, where students are paired with peers with disabilities. I learned so much from my Best Buddy and was inspired by my school’s mainstreamed program to work with children with special needs. Although it is not a pastoral position, Occupational Therapy is my ministry–my mission field. As an Occupational Therapist, I can help children overcome challenges; so that, their daily life is more comfortable. Additionally, my heart yearns to help people outside of this country. I know that one day God is going to call me as a missionary. However, my life is on God’s time. In Isaiah 55:9, God says, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” God has a purpose for the next chapters of my life. It may not seem crystal clear to me right now, but by putting my trust in Him, I have confidence that there are so many adventures ahead to shine His light!

In a novel, it is important for a character to discover her purpose in life. However, during her journey, she also faces making many decisions. In my own story, I have had a different process for making my decisions. My faith is an integral factor to this process. For instance, after attending a private, Christian elementary and middle school, the choice of high school loomed over me. Should I go to a safe, familiar, Christian school or a public school? Ultimately, it was not my parents or tuition rates that made my decision, but my faith. Coming from a sheltered, Christian environment, I wanted to put my faith into action. My belief in God was strong, and I wanted public high school to be my mission field. Because of this choice, God has taught me so much! I have met and interacted with so many different people and lifestyles. God opened my eyes to be more loving towards all human beings, His very own children. Prayer, reading my Bible, and even my daily Bible verse app on my phone influence my daily decisions. These all strengthen my values, morals, and character. By studying the Bible and relying on God, my faith is not easily swayed by pressures, especially those at school, by which some people are influenced to make poor choices. Rather these interactions have helped guide me further toward my mission of growing the Kingdom of God, because I have seen the need of a Savior in my daily classes.

When I remember my past English classes, I recall the names of great authors: Harper Lee, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Frederick Douglass, Corrie Ten Boone, and Ellie Wiesel–just to name a few of my favorites. These writers are legends because of their style, purpose, and the message they left for future generations. Their names will always be remembered because of their impact on the world. Some people today will be remembered for the amount of money they had, the Ivy League they got into, or the number of followers they had on social media. After my story has been written, I do not want to be remembered for that. Francesca Batistelli writes in one of her songs, of which I agree with my whole heart, “I don’t need my name in lights.” It does not matter to me if my name is remembered, but I want the author of my life to be known. I am not writing my life’s story, God is. He is my author. I want the impact of my actions, according to His plan and purpose, to be evident in the next chapter of my life–through all of the work God has in store for me. Furthermore, Lewis Carrol, another renowned author once said, “Don't shine so others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him.” I want God to shine through my story; so that, He is the only thing people will see. That is what I want to be remembered for.

So here I am. I am at the closing of an old chapter and standing at the precipice of a new one. It is as if I am standing on a mountain. Looking down, it is a long fall. Looking out, however, the world is at my fingertips. This inevitable page turn is daunting to say the least, because I do not want to fall off of this precipice. Though in the back of my mind, I recall my favorite Bible verse. Isaiah 40:31 assures me that “those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Instead of looking down off of the ledge, I turn my face towards the great expanse of the wide open world, full of possibilities–towards my future, the next chapter. My faith and God will support me. This is it. I turn the page. I am ready for the next part of God’s plan. I am ready to soar on the wings of eagles, with God as my author and guide.